20th Time Is The Charm
by LotteSCF
Summary: This is my response to Reptilia28's challenge. Harry dies for the 19th time, and his Grimm Reaper, Casper, has been driven half insane by it all. Harry will learn who his soul mate is, and of all the betrayals that have taken place in his life. Ultimately, f all goes well, Harry will once and for all (hopefully without another unauthorized death) prevail.
1. Meet Casper the Insane Reaper

_**A/N: Hi everyone. First of all, I'd like to start by saying that I'm back, and second apologize for being gone for so long. I know I haven't written anything in a LONG time (that includes on my other two accounts - yes, I have three accounts, this one, one by the name of sweetcrimefighter, and another by the name of Lieselot). I figure I at least owe my readers an explanation, so here it is. Firstly, I am disabled and chronically ill. I have a rare connective tissue disease called Ehlers-Danlos (EDS), Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Debilitating migraines and several other issues. All these issues only get worse with time, and, for a while, they did put me in a bit of a depressed state, especially because of the pain and isolation these illnesses cause. So, I stopped doing a lot of things that I love, including writing. Second, I took a writing course a few years back, and it was horrible, the teacher had nothing but bad things to say about my writing, and honestly, after a few months of hearing how horrible I was at it, I really wanted to stop writing all together. And, for a long time, I did. Now though, I've re-discovered the joy writing always brings to me, and am not prepared to give it up again. I can only hope that you'll be able to forgive me for abandoning something that has been a passion of mine ever since I learned to write.**_

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Hi all, this is my take on Reptilia28's awesome challenge. I've read some pretty great stories done for this challenge, which have inspired me to give it a shot myself. Also, sadly I do NOT own anything related to Harry Potter, I only get creative with it :)

CHALLENGE:

Challenge issued by "Reptilia28" - Originally on Portkey verbatim:

A funny little challenge I just came up with. It's a comical twist on the time-travel category.

STORYLINE:

*Harry is killed at 17 during a fight with Voldemort. He's sent to his Death's office (explained later) and finds out that this isn't the first time that this has happened.

*Harry's Death (who can have a human name) is mad at his arrival. Apparently, people dying before their time is a black mark on the various Deaths' records, and Harry is getting perilously close to getting this particular one fired.

*When Harry asks what was supposed to have happened, Death goes off on a rant saying how he was supposed to have killed Voldemort, found his soulmate ("Some Granger girl...") and lived to be a centennial age. But since Harry keeps getting into life-threatening situations for one reason or another, he keeps dying before that happens. Harry is surprised about the soulmate part.

*Death gives Harry a paper to sign that allows him to retain his memories (the previous times, he wasn't given this option for some reason). Harry is deposited to a previous time of the writer's choosing.

*Eventually, Harry gets it right. He kills Voldemort, gets the girl, and lives to a ripe old age of whatever. And Death doesn't get fired.

REQUIREMENTS:

*Harry had to have died at least three times before this one.

*The memory keeping contract must be included.

*Death must refer to Hermione as "some Granger girl" when Harry's soulmate turns up in his rant.

*Obviously, must be H/Hr.

*Have fun.

OPTIONAL:

*Dumbledore's manipulations can be a factor in Harry's premature demises.

 **20** **th** **Time Is The Charm**

 **Chapter 1: Meet Casper the Insane Reaper**

Harry felt as if he were floating; there was no pain, no worries, nothing except perfect eternal bliss. Harry thought, if this was what death felt like, it wasn't bad, not bad at all. That was until…

"GET UP, YOU STUPID, ANNOYING IDIOT!"

The harsh, obviously enraged voice screamed into his ear, and probably would have given him a heart attack if he weren't already dead. Shocked, he jumped up and opened his eyes. Turns out, he wasn't floating at all. In fact, he had been lying on a white marbled floor of what looked like a waiting room of an office of some sorts. What the hell had he gotten himself into now? And why was there an enraged man shouting at him, looking as if he wanted to throttle him?

The man was tall, fairly good looking, with brown hair and a small mustache. He kind of reminded Harry of Remus, for some reason. The man seemed to get angrier by the second, so Harry decided he should probably say something and hopefully calm him down.

"Er, where am I, who are you and why are you yelling at me?" The questions came in quick succession, and in hindsight, probably not the best way to calm this stranger down. If anything, the questions just seemed to be making him angrier.

The man snarled at him and grabbed his arm tightly (Harry thought that should have hurt at least, but he didn't feel a thing, perhaps one of the perks of being dead, at least, he was fairly sure he was dead), "You complete and utter moron. Follow my lead and try to keep up this time. Driving me completely bonkers, you are!" The man (who Harry had begun to think was INDEED bonkers), started dragging him around corner after corner after hallway, eventually letting go of his arm when they reached a brightly colored red door.

To Harry's surprise and shock, the man actually KICKED the door open and all but threw Harry inside, instructing him to sit at the chair before the large, marble desk. The man sat down on the other end, in a bright red and gold chair that sort of reminded Harry of a throne. He oddly felt like a schoolboy being scolded by his teacher in the office. Considering all he had been through and the fact that he was a 17-year old adult, this train of thought made him blush profusely.

For a long time, silence reigned in the office as the man crossed his hands together, leaned his chin on them and glared at Harry with an intense rage and hatred. Harry, on the other hand, confused about it all and, silently admitting to himself, a little bit scared, just tried to avoid looking at the man altogether.

Finally, the man spoke, calmer, yet still angry, "So, Harry James Potter, here we are _again_." The last word came out as an almost growl and Harry flinched back.

"A-again, sir? I'm sorry, but I've never been here before," Harry said. The man snarled and threw an enormously thick file on the table, right in front on Harry. He jumped slightly at the sound (he couldn't help it, he had just been in a war, after all) and took a peek at the file. He gaped at it in shock, sure this had to be some kind of cruel afterlife joke. Because, what the front page of the file said, just could NOT be true.

 _ **Name: Harry James Potter  
Age: 17  
Cause of unauthorized death: Killing Curse**_

 _ **THIS IS UNAUTHERIZED DEATH NUMBER 19. GRIMM REAPER IN CHARGE OFFICIALLY ON PROBATION!**_

 _ **Signed,**_

 _ **Andy Withlock, Administrative Death Angel.**_

Harry gaped and gaped and gaped, unaware of anything else besides the obvious (because this couldn't be real) joke before him. He probably would have sat there gaping at the piece of paper for the rest of eternity had it not been for the fist that banged down hard on the table.

"That's right, you stinking ape, I'm on probation because of you and your moronic death stunts!" The man screamed, seemingly ready to start pulling out his own hair; that's how crazy he looked to Harry at that moment.

Harry choked. "You're saying this is real? It's not a joke?!" He had half a mind to start screaming himself. According to this file, this was the 19th time he had died (though, he only remembered this last time before he ended up here) and apparently, they were all 'unauthorized deaths' (whatever the bloody hell that meant). How on earth was this even possible?

As it turned out, Harry's outburst seemed to have led to a breakdown of the man before him, who started screaming and ranting at him (Harry felt it was safest to just let him rant without interrupting; he really didn't want to find out what this enraged, insane man was possible of).

"You bloody useless piece of excrement! Off course it's real, you dunce! 19 times you've died! 19! You've turned me into a bloody laughing stock among the other reapers! Sure, the first 5 times where that useless family of yours killed you before you turned 11 can't actually be blamed on you, but all the times after that were entirely your freaking fault!

"Death number 6, that stinking troll smashes you to bits! Number 7, that lazy moron Weasley manages to get you killed during the chess game! 8, you and the lazy redhead both die when you smash into that ugly ass tree, I nearly pulled out all my hair after that stupid stunt! Number 9, the basilisk EATS you! 10, dementors suck out your soul! I tried to bash my own skull in after that! 11, AGAIN, you get EATEN, this time by that stupid dragon! Then there's number 12, the highlight of idiocy when you drown in the black lake because you have too little brain cells to remember GillyWeed only lasts ONE hour! Number 13, Voldemort manages to kill you in the graveyard! Sure, not really your fault, but STILL!

"Then, I thought you were actually getting it right, because you didn't die in 5th year, but then NOOOO, mister here just has to duel that Malfoy ponce in sixth year and gets hit with the damn killing curse! I tried to bite of my hands after that ordeal! Then there's number 15, the first of many deaths of what was supposed to be your 7th year! Do you even realize you've been driving me to the brink of insanity this year, HUH?! So, number 15, ANOTHER killing curse when you're flying away from that hell house on Privet Drive! 16, you splinched yourself in HALF after fleeing that farce of a wedding! 17, Voldemort's pet snake strangles you! Then there was 18, when you got flattened by a Hogwarts wall during the battle. Never learned of duck and cover, you little shit?! And you know what happened with number 19, you moron! Whatever in the hell possessed you that it was a GOOD idea to let that ugly snake face KILL you?!

"And now they've placed me on probation! Do you even know what happens when a Grimm Reaper gets demoted, HUH?! THEY GET PUT ON ANIMAL REAPER DUTY, THAT'S WHAT! I'D BE THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE UNDERWORLD AND IT'D BE ALL YOUR BLOODY FAULT!"

At last, the very very very longwinded, LOUD and disturbing rant ended, leaving the man (or Grimm Reaper) panting for air, and Harry himself extremely pale after hearing all of his disturbing deaths. He wasn't surprised to hear that the Dursleys had managed to kill him 5 times before he ever reached Hogwarts (though he was glad the Reaper hadn't gone into detail about how those deaths occurred), but to hear how he had died so many other times was beyond disturbing and bone chilling, and, if he was honest, he had to admit some of those deaths did sound very idiotic.

"Well, I'm, er, sorry, mister Grimm Reaper? But, there's really nothing to be done about it, is there. I mean, I'm dead, right? So, that's it," Harry said. Mister Grimm Reaper seemed to be trying to vaporize Harry with his very own eyes for a while before he appeared to calm down a little.

"Firstly, my name is Casper - " That's as far as he got before Harry blurted something out without, yet again, thinking.

"As in Casper the Ghost?" He giggled; he remembered those movies from when he was little and could watch parts of them through his cupboard door as Dudley watched. However, it was, again, the wrong thing to say to this man – to Casper.

"No, you dimwitted twit! As in Casper the Grimm Reaper! Now shut the hell up and listen!" Harry nodded quickly and slammed his mouth shut, willing himself to keep it shut until Casper decided he was allowed to speak again.

"Now, as is customary with any unauthorized death, we will be sending you back in time for a… 'do-over', as they say. Obviously, since this is your 19th death, this is not the first time we'll be sending you back. However, because you keep mucking everything up and driving me up the wall, my bosses and I have reached the agreement that you will be send back with all your memories of this lifetime intact… You with me so far?" Casper asked. Harry nodded quickly, still numb and oh so terribly confused. But he thought he understood so far.

"Anyways, after you sign the contract that will allow you to keep your memories, we have decided to send you back to the day just after your first task. Why, you wonder? Simple, really. That silly yule ball happens shortly after and we need you to ask your soulmate, some Granger girl, to the ball, kiss her and initiate your soul bond with her which will -" However, that was as far as Mister Casper, Grimm Reaper got as Harry began to cough violently after that bit of information.

"Soulmate? Soul bond? Some Granger girl? As in Hermione Granger?" Harry spluttered. Casper waved it all away.

"Yes, yes, one Hermione Granger. She's your soulmate, and you also will share a soul bond with her, as I was saying." Here, Casper once again glared at Harry for interrupting, who just sat there stunned out of his mind, trying to process the fact that Hermione was his soulmate and he shared a soul bond with her. However, then something else came to mind…

"B-but, what about Ginny? And Ron?" He was meant to be with Ginny, and Hermione with Ron, weren't they?

Casper growled. "Don't even get me started on those weasels, urgh. We'll discuss those conniving dunderheads, among others, later. First, back to where we left of. NO interruptions this time, got it?!" Again, the force of Casper's glare was enough to quickly silence Harry.

"Right then, so, you ask that Granger girl to the ball, kiss her and initiate your soul bond, which will record the two of you as being married, which means that you'll also be emancipated, meaning you'll never have to go back to those evil dicks called the Dursleys." Harry wanted to jump up and shout in joy upon hearing that titbit of information, but wisely managed to keep his mouth shut (it did seem to get him into trouble more often than not).

"After that, assuming you listen closely to all the information I have yet to impart on you, you should be able to defeat Voldemort in the graveyard, save countless lives, have plenty of sex and kids, and live to a ripe age of 200- and something. ASSUMING you LISTEN carefully, got it?" Harry nodded and grinned, still stuck on the 'plenty of sex and kids' comment, which sounded great in his, currently, horny mind.

Apparently, Casper seemed to know exactly what he was thinking and rolled his eyes. "Jeez kid, get your mind outta the gutter. This stuff is important!" Harry blushed, but nodded.

"First and foremost, you HAVE to cut all ties with that power hungry, manipulative, lemon-drop addicted, halfway dark lord named Albus-too-many-names-to-matter-Dumbledore." Casper spat out the name as if it tasted like filth on his tongue. This time, Harry could NOT keep quiet!

"How dare you say that? Dumbledore was one of THE greatest men of our time!" He shouted, defending the man he had looked up to more than any other.

Instead of getting mad at him, Casper just barked out a sarcastic laugh. "Sure, such a _'great'_ man. Let's review, shall we? First, he set your parents AND the Longbottoms up to die. Sent your godfather to prison without a trial, KNOWING the man was innocent. Dumbledore was, after all, a witness to your parents' will, which mentioned WHO the real secret keeper was. Not to mention that this _'great'_ man himself placed the fidellius charm on your parents' home, so he, better than anyone, knew the truth. He just wanted your godfather out of the way, so chucking him in prison was the way to go. And let's not forget he may as well have killed your parents himself, since he KNEW that Pettigrew was the spy since the beginning, yet did nothing, except convince your godfather that the rat should be the secret keeper instead of him."

The more Casper revealed, the angrier Harry got. He could feel the blood boiling beneath his skin and was wishing he could get his hands on Dumbledore so he could kill him slowly and painfully for all he'd done. And judging by Casper's tone of voice, there were more revelations to come.

"Then he _happily_ placed you in a 'home' which he knew would be extremely abusive, perhaps even deadly, a fact which made him even more pleased. However, you proved to be much too powerful for his liking, so when you were around the age of three, he placed several magical blocks on you, severely limiting your ability to heal or do magic of any kind. The fact that you're still so powerful is mind blowing, really. He also placed blocks which severely hindered your ability to learn or even recollect what you still learned. Once in school, he placed several more blocks, such as a block against all forms of mind magic. He did that one in particular to make your mind more vulnerable to Voldermort – those shams of supposed Occlumency lessons only aided in further opening that connection."

Throughout all of this, Harry sat shell shocked. Even if he'd wanted to interrupt and say something, he had no idea what to say. A man he had though walked on water was actually as evil (if not more) as Voldermort himself.

"Now, don't worry about those blocks. All the blocks on your magic will be released once you kiss that Granger girl. Now, don't flip out on me or anything, it won't hurt a bit. It'll just cause a big spectacle of colorful lights, should be fun actually.

"Which brings me to my next point. The initiation of the soul bond will also eliminate any and all potions you, as well as Granger, have in your system. Which, admittedly, are a fair few. Not only has Dumbledork been dosing you and Granger with loyalty and compulsion potions linked to him and that farce of a teacher Snape, the Weasels… pardon… 'WEASLEYS' have been doing the same and more."

Harry swallowed. He'd thought it couldn't get any worse than Dumbledore betraying him so badly, but now it seemed the Weasleys were doing the same. How was he supposed to know who to trust anymore from now on?

"Indeed, those Weasleys have been dosing you and Granger as well. Well, okay, not all Weasleys. Arthur ain't that bad, he's just too cowed by that bitch of a wife of his to stand up to her, and he also has no idea of anything she's been doing. Charlie and Bill are okay too and completely clueless about their mother's activities, as they spend all their adult lives trying to avoid her as much as possible. Percy's not involved either, though he's still a stuck up little ponce. The twins are cool and much too loyal a friends to betray you like that. They actually found out once but their harpy mother obliviated them before they could spill the beans. No, it's the harpy mom, the crazed fangirl they call Ginny and that lazy, self-entitled so-called friend Ron you need to watch out for.

"You see, Ron has been dosing you with loyalty and compulsion potions keyed to him and his harpy mother since the day you met. Btw, you do know that the entire first meeting of them at the train station was a set-up, right? Anyways, starting off with second year, he also started dosing Granger with the same potions, and then added love potions. Your dose was keyed to the fangirl while Granger's dose was keyed to the lazy redheaded idiot himself, and yes, the crazy fangirl weasel was in on it as well, and the harpy mom provided the potions. But again, as I've said, all those potions will be out of your system once the soul bond is initiated and new mind altering potions will have no effect on you and Granger at all. OH, before I forget, the redheaded garbage disposal has also been spying on you for Dumbledork since day one."

Finally, it seemed the story of all the betrayals had come to an end. He had thought Casper might start spouting of betrayals Snape had committed against him, but then figured he didn't need that talk. Snape had been working for Dumbledore for year and did everything that bastard said. Not to mention, Snape was an asshole all around who had, with his last breath, managed to send Harry to his death. So yeah, he just counted Snape on the betrayal list as well.

It was strange, he had thought all of this information would break his heart, but it didn't. It pissed him off beyond belief, yes, but it did nothing to his heart. It wasn't even as big of a shock as it had seemed when Casper had started to talk. It was more like part of him had always known this, deep down, so it was easier to accept.

"Ah yes, I see we're getting somewhere now," Casper said, smiling for the first time since Harry had met him.

"But, what about the Horcrux in my head? Won't I have it again if you send me back to 4th year?" Harry asked.

"Ah yes, that foul thing, indeed. That's where the Goblins will come into place - you need to go there anywhere to claim your inheritance and Lordship – they'll take care of it, but we'll discuss those details later."

Harry though, was puzzled about something Casper had mentioned. "Inheritance? Lordship?"

"Oh, that's right, you have no idea you're filthy rich as well as Lord of a Most Ancient and Most Noble House. The Potter name, is after all, one of the oldest in Magical Britain, but no matter, another thing we'll discuss later. Any other question?" Casper waved his hand at Harry as if to keep the momentum going.

"Yes, actually, is there anything I can do about all the manipulation and betrayals when I go back?" Harry asked.

"Why yes indeed. Before we start on that, undoubtedly LONG discussion of everything that needs to be done, here's a few hints. First, if all goes right, you'll get yourself the best lawyer available, a certain godfather of yours would gain freedom, and perhaps several aforementioned others could get some prison time. How does that sound?"

Harry grinned. "Great!" He paused as he thought of something else. "But, it won't work. The first time Dumbledore or Snape check my mind, they'll know I know and obliviate the hell out of me. All of this will have been for nothing!" Harry sighed, and he thought he'd been so close to a better life. Casper, however, didn't seem fazed by this at all.

"Not to worry, we're sending you back with full occlumency abilities. Your mind will be better protected than anyone else's on earth, and once you initiate your soul bond, Granger will have the same occlumency protections, which means you'll be allowed to tell her everything. Though, you're not allowed to tell anyone else."

Harry sagged in his chair, relief flooding his body. He'd be protected after all, and once he knew everything that needed to be done, he would do everything in his power to make it all better and create a better life for him and the people he loved.

Several long hours and one very LONG discussion later, Harry was armed with all the information he needed to change his world for the better and get rid of all the manipulative influences in his life once and for all.

Casper pushed a stack of papers towards Harry as well as a very fancy pen that Harry was slightly envious of.

"Now, all you have to do is sign these papers – yes, right there, bottom of the last page – that states you will maintain all your memories of this lifetime once you go back. Signed already? Good. Now then, all that's left is to say good luck. Don't worry, I'll pop in from time to time to make sure you're doing your job. And for the love of my sanity, don't die another unauthorized death! Now then, off you go!"

With that said, Casper clasped his hands together and Harry felt as if he was being ripped apart, sown back together, and ripped apart again. Mercifully, it soon ended and Harry felt that he was lying on a soft bed, in a room that smelled extremely sterile, and felt a soft, feminine hand in his. He opened his eyes and smiled; Hermione was asleep in her chair, her head lying on the bed, her hand holding his. He was in the hospital wing, the day after the first task. It had worked! And Harry grinned at how much he was going to blow everyone's minds very, very soon. For once, it was extremely good to be alive and back.


	2. First Day Back

_**A/N: Hi all and thank you all very much for the reviews, which really helped with this quick update. So, this chapter will give you a few small answers as to what Harry and Casper discussed before he came back (though, many many more plans and deceits will be revealed in coming chapters).**_

 _ **And I know the chapter's a bit shorter than the first one, but you know how it is, one chapter is shorter while another is longer. I really hope you like Harry's first day back among the living, and hope to have to pleasure of more reviews as well. Enjoy all ;)**_

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 **Chapter 2: First Day Back**

For several long minutes, Harry simply stared at the sleeping Hermione, taking in every single feature on her face. He'd never realized before, but Hermione was one stunning young lady, even now way back in fourth year. And he knew she'd be drop dead gorgeous by the time they became 17. He could easily imagine him falling in love with her, if he wasn't already.

' _Ginny. It's Ginny you want. It's Ginny you love.'_ A voice in the back of his mind seemed to be telling him. He frowned (how had he not noticed that the first time around?) and slammed his Occlumency barriers shut, silencing the voice, which was, no doubt, a result of the love, loyalty and compulsion potions he was under.

Hermione was still sleeping, and Harry was hesitant to wake the beauty up. He couldn't wait for McGonagall to inform them of the coming Yule ball, so he could ask his future wife to the dance. At first, he'd wondered why, if she was under a love potion, she hadn't gone to the ball with Ron. Casper had explained that Ron hadn't been able to dose her as frequently as before, causing the potion to lose some of its potency, leaving Hermione with mixed emotions she didn't really understand herself. Hence, the huge fight she and Ron had had the original night of the ball, something Harry vowed would not happen this time. No, this time, he would be going with Hermione and he would make sure she had an amazing time, without interference from the redhead.

He felt Hermione stir at his side, and soon enough, she blinked and opened her eyes, smiling brightly at him; Harry, in turn, smiled back. Yes, he had a lot of work to do very soon, as well as a lot of planning, but none of that would stop Harry from enjoying his time with Hermione. And, as soon as they kissed, he'd be able to tell her everything as well, and then her brilliant mind would be able to help him with his plans. Now that he thought about it, he wondered why he even had to wait until the Yule ball to kiss her? Hmm, perhaps he should do it sooner – he'd have to think about that.

Now, before either one could say anything, Madame Pomphrey came bustling out of her office and started doing a diagnoses on his health. Harry had always wondered why, if Madame Pomphrey was so insistent upon him being 'healthy' before leaving the hospital wing, she had never done anything to help him with the damages his disgusting 'relatives' had inflicted upon him. The answer, again, had come from Casper and showed even more deceit from the Headmaster, as well as a serious evil side. When Madame Pomphrey was first employed, the Headmaster had tricked her into taking several oaths (all came close to breaking the healer's oath she took, though none actually did break it, the old coot was clever that way); one such oath was that she couldn't reveal any signs of abuse to anyone but the headmaster, not even her patient was allowed to know what was wrong with them unless Dumbledore gave permission. Another oath was that she was not allowed to treat any damage from such abuse without the bastard's permission, which he almost never gave. The truth was, Dumbledore didn't give a shit about abused children at all, or even children in general. All he cared about was power. He also figured that the more abused children came to Hogwarts under his 'care', the more 'followers' he would have as they would look upon him and his school as their salvation. It worked in some cases, but not in all.

In fact, the entire reason Voldemort existed was because of the old fool. He had known Tom Riddle was being horribly abused in the orphanage he was staying in. And Tom had begged him repeatedly for help, with Dumbledork only turning a blind eye. As such, Tom's hatred for muggles grew and grew, as well as his hatred for the lemon drop loving fool. In Tom's eyes, the 'light' (as Dumble-ass was supposedly the leader of the light) had betrayed him, so, he turned to the dark, and became lost in it. As it was, Tom was too far gone to save now, he would have to die.

Anyways, as Madame Pomphrey couldn't possibly help Harry (though now he knew why she always looked at him with pity and sadness), Casper had suggested asking for a Gringotts Healer once he got there. A healer who would then make the 'discovery' that Harry had a horcrux in his head, which would lead to its removal and much more.

Reluctantly, Madame Pomphrey declared him 'healthy' and let him leave the hospital wing, with an order to take it easy for a couple of days. After Harry dressed, he and Hermione left the hospital wing, but not before he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She had looked at him strangely then, but Harry had just smiled, shrugged and walked out the wing, Hermione on his trail.

As they headed toward the hospital wing, Hermione spoke, "So, I think Ron will want to be your best friend again now. At least, from the way he was talking at dinner last night, that's what it sounded like."

Harry remembered this conversation, and had remembered how happy he'd been to hear that the first time around, now, it just caused him to roll his eyes. His 'friendship' with the redheaded weasel would be permanently finished very soon. He did wonder why Hermione sounded so sad, almost bordering on hurt, as she said it. Though, it wasn't actually that hard to figure out. She was probably scared he'd spend all of his time playing games with Ron again, ignoring her until he needed her help. He was ashamed to say that that was pretty much what had happened the first time around. _'Stupid potions!'_ He snarled.

Hermione jumped and looked at him oddly as he did so. He sighed and came up with an explanation that was as close to the truth as he could get right now.

"Hermione, Ron is nothing but a jealous, pig-headed idiot who has betrayed me for the last time. My friendship with him was over the minute he decided I was 'guilty' of a 'crime' I didn't commit."

They were standing still in an empty hallway now, and Hermione only gaped at him, surprise and disbelief in her eyes.

"I won't make you choose between us, 'Mione, but I'm afraid _he_ will. I'll understand if you'd rather be his friend than mine…," He said. He was fearful that she would indeed choose Ron; though Casper had assured him that the potions in her system were currently too weak to make that decision for her. So, in truth, the decision was entirely up to her, but that didn't lessen Harry's fear any, at least, not until Hermione spoke.

"Harry, off course I'd choose you if it came down to that. Ron treats me horribly most of the time, even worse lately because I've been helping you, and even if he doesn't force my hand, I'm not sure if I still want to be his friend after the way he's treated you especially. No one should treat his best friend as he did!" She finished, and Harry had to smile at the classic Hermione rant she just did, as well because of the relief flooding his system after his words.

His next words made Hermione's day, "Well, that's why _you're_ my best friend, _not_ Weasley. I mean it, 'Mione, you've always been there for me, more than anyone. I couldn't hope for a better best friend than you."

Those words earned him a squeal, a big hug and a tearful 'thank you' from his soon-to-be wife. Heavy discussions over, they continued on their way to the Gryffindor common room. As soon as they entered, the common room erupted in cheers, everyone celebrating his 'great' victory. The twins even went as far as to twirl him around in a little dance, making him laugh. He was very happy that the twins were innocent and unaware of any betrayals.

Then, everything quieted down as Ronald Weasley made his way toward him. Harry had to clench his fist to avoid pummeling the weasel to death. Though Ronald 'seemed' apologetic, Harry could see the reluctance and underlying anger on his face, only confirming what Casper had told him. The only reason Ron had apologized was because Dumbledick had ordered him to, because he needed his spy with his 'weapon' again. Harry glared at the redhead who now stood before him, shifting from foot to foot, everyone watching to see what would happen. Ron opened his mouth to speak, but was halted by Harry abruptly raising his hand, palm up.

"Save it, Ron. Nothing you say can take away the fact that you betrayed me at the worst possible time in my life. And why? Because you believed, and by the looks of it, STILL believe that I put my name into that blasted cup. I don't need, nor want your phony apology, so keep it to yourself. And while you're at it, just continue doing what you've been doing for the last several months, and stay the hell away from me. Our 'friendship' is officially over!"

Ron looked flabbergasted as whispers broke out in the common room. No one had expected this turn of events, or for Harry to make such a powerful and forceful speech (which was very unlike the boy they knew). Everyone had expected that Harry would simply welcome the walking eating machine known as Ronald Weasley back with open arms. Instead, this happened. Among the whispers, someone started clapping (it turned out to be Fred Weasley, of all people, followed quickly by his twin); many others followed the twins' example. It turns out that Ron and his holier-than-thou attitude wasn't much appreciated by his fellow Gryffindors. The only reason they had tolerated him was because they liked Harry, and yes, Hermione as well. But, it seemed that reason had just gone out the window, so people would soon begin to show their true feelings toward the redhead.

Ron turned redder and redder as the clapping increased, soon accompanied by cheers (the only one who didn't join in, Harry noticed, was Ginny, who seemed frozen in shock) and true to his colors, volcano Ron exploded, marvelously. "You bastard!" He took a swing at Harry, who swiftly moved himself and Hermione (who had also been clapping behind his back, unnoticed by the weasel) out of the way. Ron lost his balance and fell onto the carpeted floor, causing laughter to erupt in the room. By the time he got back to his feet, Harry had his wand out and was pointing it straight at his former 'best friend'.

Ronald growled and made a show to grab for Hermione, only to be pushed back harshly by Harry. "Leave her alone." Harry spoke with a normal volume, though no one could mistake the power behind his words. It seemed Harry Potter was getting angry, and he was indeed. Harry thought for a split second that Ron would recognize the danger he was in, but apparently he was too thick headed for that.

He pulled out his wand, pointing it at Harry. "She's mine, Potter!" Ron hissed. Harry saw Hermione's eye grow wide with not only shock, but anger at those words as well. Harry was very glad that the potions weren't working well on her, because of the low dosage, but recognized that after this, either Ron or Ginny would try to up the ante and he couldn't allow that. No, he decided, he would make sure she was protected, even if that meant kissing her sooner than he had agreed upon with Casper.

Before Harry, Hermione or anyone else could say anything else, Ron shouted off a spell, "Stupify!"

Unfortunately for the redhead, Harry was way ahead of the game, and much, much faster. "Expelliarmus!" The force of Harry's spell threw Ron backwards against the wall, where he hit his head and fell unconscious. More cheering broke out after this.

Harry's spell had been powerful, yes, more powerful than any other fourth years would be, but it was still extremely limited because of all the blocks he had. Another reason to kiss Hermione soon.

The twins came up to Harry and started shaking his hand (one hand for each twin), congratulating him on finally putting their spoiled, thick headed brother in his place.

Well, Harry conceded, for a first day back, this was certainly more excitement than he had planned for, and it wasn't even noon yet. He could also see that Hermione had many questions for him, but managed to head those off by promising her to have a talk as soon as possible. But first, he had several letters to write and send off. As the letters he needed to compose had to be very detailed, it would probably take most of the day.

He turned back to Hermione. "I have several letters to write, do you fancy joining me for a day in the library? We could get lunch and dinner from the kitchens, avoid the redhead for a while at least."

Off course Hermione agreed, it _was_ the library after all. Harry smiled and they headed back out the common room. Ron was still lying in a heap on the ground, no one was bothered to wake him any time soon, while Ginny still seemed to be trying to process everything that had happened. All in all, not bad for a first day back, Harry thought.


	3. Lies and Punishments

_**A/N: Thank you all very much for the reviews, I loved all your kind words. And I hope you like this chapter.**_

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 **Chapter 3: Lies and Punishments. **

Harry had managed to finish all his letters, send them off with Hedwig – he had gotten very tear-eyed when he saw his familiar alive again – and had a late dinner in the kitchens with Hermione, who still seemed to be in somewhat of a shocked state with everything that had happened with the Weasel earlier.

They were headed back to their common room to retire for the night, when they were approached by a smug looking Ronald Weasley and Dumbledore. Harry had an idea of what was going to happen here, and quickly grasped Hermione's hand, so he could keep her quiet until the two cretins had left.

"Mr. Potter, I am very disappointed in you. Attacking a good friend for no reason is unacceptable, and furthermore cause for expulsion. However, I shall give you a second chance. You have hereby lost 250 points from Gryffindor and will have one months' detention with Professor Snape. You will also publicly apologize to your good friend during breakfast tomorrow. I really hope you adhere to my rules, Harry, or I shall have no choice but to expel you," Dumbledore said. His voice sounded grave, but Harry could see the evil glint in his eyes and had to bite his tongue in order not to curse the bastard who set his parents up to die.

Meanwhile, Harry kept squeezing Hermione's hand, signaling with his head that she should remain quiet, though she seemed to be enraged, looking much the part of a lioness about to jump her prey, Hermione's prey being Ronald Weasley in particular.

"Yes sir," Harry said, then pulled Hermione with him as he walked away from the evil duo. Stopping a few steps further, Hermione started ranting and raving about the injustice of it all and what the hell was Dumbledore thinking not investigating Ron's claims in the first place?

"'Mione, relax. I'm not about to let this be, but it wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference if I had said something to Dumbledore, he has his own agenda when it comes to me. No, I'm going to go find Professor McGonagall and explain to her what happened. She's stern, but fair and she'll find out the truth. And I have a feeling that it'll be Ron in detention instead of me. Also, there's no way in hell that I'm ever apologizing to the carrot top," He said.

Harry was incredibly pissed off by what had just occurred, but doing his best to hide the full extent of his anger; Occlumency helped with that. Hermione had nodded in resignation, and some confusion (it was such a cute expression on her face, he thought) after Harry's words, and followed him to McGonagall's chambers, where the Maurauder's map indicated she was presently.

Once they arrived there, they were quickly ushered inside and allowed to explain what had happened. They told her everything, starting with the events in the Tower that morning and ending with the confrontation with Dumbledick, where Harry had recited Dumble's words verbatim. To say McGonagall looked furious would have been an understatement. After hearing them out, she instructed them to sit down and wait as she went off in search of a redheaded food disposal bag and the truth.

Once seated, Hermione, who had been mostly quiet since they'd arrived at McGonagall's chambers, turned to Harry. She was biting her bottom lip – a trait Harry had noticed she developed whenever she felt uncertain and/or curious – and seemed to be examining every inch of Harry.

Harry laughed softly, "Just ask me whatever it is you want to ask me. I don't bite, you know."

A few more tense seconds passed before she finally spoke, "What did you mean when you said that the Headmaster has his own agenda when it comes to you? What were all those letters today about? And why is it that you seem like a completely different person from who you were yesterday?"

As usual when Hermione was trying to solve a mystery, the questions were blurted out one after the other. Sadly, Harry knew he couldn't answer a single one truthfully until he had kissed her, which he now decided would be within the next few days at least, because he really was dying to kiss her sweet lips, to taste her and make her forever his.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts; the last thing he wanted was to get aroused in McGonagall's chambers because he was too caught up in his thoughts about Hermione, who was still waiting on an answer if the slight narrowing of her eyes was anything to go by.

Harry sighed, and hoped she would accept his condition. "Give me a week. One week at the most, and you'll have all the answers you want and more. I promise."

He watched as Hermione seemed to go through her own internal debate. He knew how much it killed her when she couldn't figure something out and the person with the answers wouldn't give them to her. But, he figured she would accept, lest she get no answers at all. And a week wasn't all that long, after all. And if he had it his way, she wouldn't even half to wait half a week, if his plans went accordingly.

Eventually, Hermione relented, "Fine. One week. But if you don't give me any answers then, I swear I'll torture them out of you, Harry James Potter."

The use of his full name ensured that Hermione meant everything she just said. If he was still 14, he'd have been terrified by now. He smiled at her and was just about to say something when McGonagall returned, followed by a disgruntled Ron Weasley. Now Harry really smiled; let the show begin!

McGonagall conjured another chair for Ron, and then none too kindly ordered him to sit. Once seated herself, she turned to Harry and Hermione, her expression much kinder than it was towards Ron.

"Mr. Potter, I have investigated the matter and have concluded that you told me the truth and acted only in self-defense. As such, the 250 points taken are hereby returned, your detentions cancelled and you will _not_ have to publicly apologize to Mr. Weasley, as you did nothing wrong. And rest assured, I will be having strong words with the Headmaster about this entire ordeal," She said. Harry and Hermione smiled at her, then turned to Ron, anger once more upon their face, as well as eagerness to find out what McGonagall would do to punish the lying Weasel.

"As for you, Mr. Weasley, your actions during this entire day have been despicable. Firstly, attacking a student for any reason is a serious breach of etiquette and should you do it again, I will not be so lenient as I will be now. Second, _if_ you have a problem with another member of your house, you come to _me_ , _your Head of house_ , NOT the headmaster! Third, lying about it and trying to frame someone else for your actions is nothing short of disgusting!"

As she spoke, Harry watched as the Weasel seemed to cringe with every single word; even he must know now that Dumbledore wouldn't be able to back him up this time. No, if Harry's suspicions were correct, Dumbledore would express his 'deepest regrets for making such a terrible mistake' and act the very role of loving grandfather as he abandoned Ron to the ire of the Head lioness.

"Now, as for you punishment, it will be heavy, in light of everything. But don't be mistaken, if you ever act in such a manner again, the punishment will be far worse than the one you will be given now," McGonagall said. She paused for a moment, letting her words sink into the few brain cells the redhead possessed.

"Yes, Professor," Ron said at last. The way he spat out the title 'professor' only seemed to resolve McGonagall's idea punishment.

"Well then, first, you will lose 300 points from Gryffindor, and I will inform the house why we are now in the red when it comes to our house points. You will also serve two months detention, to be divided between myself and another teacher of my choosing. You will also publicly apologize tomorrow during breakfast, once everyone is in the hall. You will apologize for attacking Mr. Potter, lying and trying to frame him and for losing the points you did. I will also send a letter to your parents to describe your appalling behavior. Furthermore, you are banned from Hogsmead visits until you have completed all of your detentions," She said. Predictably, the long list of punishments seemed to be too much for Ron's brain to process and once again, Volcano Ron erupted.

"What the hell, you can't do that to me you lousy bitch!"

Hermione gasped at the foul language directed at her, now, incredibly pissed off teacher, and even Harry's eyes had shut up in shock and surprise. He really didn't think that Ron would be _this_ stupid, but apparently he was wrong.

"That will be a further 50 points from Gryffindor and an extra month added to your detentions. Do you wish to test me further and make it detention for the entire year, Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall said as she was glaring daggers into Ron.

Harry fought the urge not to laugh as he looked at the Weasel, who seemed ready to piss his pants in fright. As soon as McGonagall dismissed him, the redhead shot out of there like a cannon.

"Thank you for finding the truth before handing out judgement, Professor. I know I can at least count on one adult in this castle," Harry said, McGonagall smiled softly.

"You're welcome, Mr. Potter. Now, you two had best run along now, curfew is almost upon you and I wouldn't want you to get a detention for being out late."

Harry and Hermione both thanked McGonagall once more, then left for their common room, which was just one hallway removed from their Professor's chambers.

"Do you think Ron will try and attack you again?" Hermione asked, clearly worried for her friend who had to sleep in the same room with someone who had shown they had no problem attacking Harry.

"Don't worry, 'Mione, I don't think he'll try anything tonight. And if and when he does try again, I'll handle him."

Hermione smiled and nodded, though for some reason unknown to Harry, seemed nervous as well. He soon discovered that reason.

"Goodnight Harry," She said, accompanied by a slight peck on his cheek, after which she quickly vanished through the entrance of the common room and up to her dorm. Harry felt giddy and his cheek tingled; definitely kissing her very soon, he thought to himself.


End file.
